Welcome to The Receipt, a collection documenting how Bon Appétit readers eat and what they spend doing it. Every meals diary follows one nameless reader’s week of bills associated to groceries, restaurant meals, espresso runs, and each chew in between. On this time of rising meals prices, The Receipt reveals how of us—from totally different cities, with totally different incomes, on totally different schedules—are determining their meals budgets.
In in the present day’s Receipt, we observe a 26-year-old wine chemist who makes $55,000 in Salem, Oregon. Hold studying for her receipts.
The funds
What are your pronouns? She/her
What’s your occupation? I’m a wine chemist. I previously labored internationally and traveled a bit with the job earlier than settling in Oregon. I additionally assist property handle a trip rental property within the space for some further earnings.
How previous are you? 26
What metropolis and state do you reside in? I simply moved to Salem, Oregon.
What’s your annual wage, you probably have one? My base wage is $45,000. With harvest time beyond regulation and different ins and outs, I’d say my complete earnings is round $55,000.
How a lot is one paycheck, after taxes? $1,381
How typically are you paid? (e.g. weekly) Twice a month
How a lot cash do you could have in financial savings? $10,000
What are your approximate fastened month-to-month bills past meals? (i.e. lease, subscriptions, payments) Round $1,700
The food plan
Do you observe a sure food plan or have dietary restrictions? None in any respect.
What are the grocery staples you at all times purchase, if any? I’m going by the Dealer Joe’s Eggplant Garlic Unfold with Candy Pink Peppers at an alarming price. I at all times have a fairly wholesome cheese rotation going by my fridge; you possibly can sometimes look forward to finding 4 to 6 cheeses in my fridge. I feel my document is eight.
How typically in every week do you dine out versus prepare dinner at dwelling? I normally find yourself going out/ordering in as soon as every week.
How typically in every week did you dine out whereas rising up? As soon as each two weeks or so. I grew up in a village in England so eating choices have been restricted to 2 cafes, a Chinese language takeaway, a fish and chips store, and an Indian restaurant (we ate there a LOT). Once I obtained older, we moved to a smaller village with 5 pubs in a five-minute drive vary, so we’d go there continuously.
How typically in every week did your dad and mom or guardians prepare dinner at dwelling? Most nights we’d have a home-cooked meal. We had au pairs so that they’d normally prepare dinner for us weeknights; this meant that we obtained to strive meals from a spread of cultures. My mother is a wonderful prepare dinner and would prepare dinner on weekends. She lived in France for a few years (the place my brother and I have been born) and realized to prepare dinner there. I used to be at all times her sous chef within the kitchen; I liked (and nonetheless do) having that bonding time together with her.
The bills
- Week’s complete: $136.70
- Eating places and cafés complete: $28.48
- Groceries complete: $108.22
- Most-expensive meal or buy: Takeout dinner from Thai Orchid, $22.50
- Least-expensive meal or buy: Morton’s sea salt, $1.59
- Variety of restaurant and café meals: 2
- Variety of grocery journeys: 2
The diary
Monday
A few of the mozzarella melts into the nice and cozy squash, so I fish out these superior bites and ponder life’s huge questions, corresponding to, “Why is melted cheese so a lot better than stable cheese?”
